These businesswomen are the leading female founders of beauty and make-up companies in the region, judged by how successful their brands were in 2024.
10 Women Behind Middle Eastern Beauty Brands:
Huda Kattan:
- Brand: Huda Beauty
- Establishment: 2013
- Nationality: Iraqi-American
- Headquarters: U.A.E.
Huda Kattan
Kattan started her makeup brand, Huda Beauty, with her sisters Mona and Alya in 2013. She launched her skincare brand WISHFUL in 2020 and a makeup line called GloWish in 2021. Kattan stepped down as CEO of Huda Beauty in 2020 and became co-CEO with her husband in 2021. In February 2024, she returned as CEO and announced plans for a rebranding with a new logo and packaging. In March 2024, Huda Beauty released its first-ever lip gloss called “FAUX FILLER Extra Shine,” one of the first products launched since Kattan took over as head of the product development team.
Hind Sebti:
- Brand: whind
- Establishment: 2021
- Nationality: Moroccan
- Headquarters: U.K.
Hind Sebti
Sebti started the beauty and skincare brand whind, which was the first brand launched by Waldencast, a Nasdaq-listed company that helps early-stage beauty and wellness brands grow. Sebti is also the co-founder and chief growth officer of Waldencast PLC, which had a market value of over $542.5 million on June 11, 2024, and made $68.3 million in net revenues in the first quarter of 2024. As of June 2024, whind has more than 129,000 followers on Instagram. Its products are PETA-certified, cruelty-free, vegan, and use 100% recyclable bottles and jars.
Mouna Abbassy:
- Brand: izil Beauty
- Establishment: 2012
- Nationality: Moroccan
- Headquarters: U.A.E.
Mouna Abbassy from Shoelifer
Abbassy created izil Beauty, inspired by Moroccan beauty traditions passed down from her mother. The brand’s name, “izil,” means “pure” in the Amazigh language. It makes skincare products using ancient Moroccan recipes and is produced in the U.A.E. with an in-house research and development center. Today, izil Beauty is sold online worldwide and has customers in the GCC, the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. It also has the first Moroccan Spa & Hammam, Izil Hammam and Spa, in Dubai Mall. As of June 2024, izil Beauty had 382,000 Instagram followers and has been endorsed by celebrities like Nora Fatehi and Nadine Nassib Njeim. In 2024, the brand launched the Aker Fassi Poppy Lip Trio and announced plans to expand to new locations in the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia in 2024 and 2025.
Mona Kattan:
- Brand: KAYALI; Huda Beauty
- Establishment: 2018; 2013
- Nationality: Iraqi-American
- Headquarters: U.A.E.
Mona Kattan
Kattan entered the cosmetics industry in 2013 as a cofounder of Huda Beauty with her sisters Huda and Alya. In 2018, she launched her perfume brand, KAYALI, as the fragrance branch of Huda Beauty. By June 2024, she had over 3.4 million followers on Instagram. The brand’s latest scent, Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar, toured 42 times across five countries and eight cities in six weeks.
Salama Mohamed:
- Brand: Peacefull
- Establishment: 2021
- Nationality: Emirati
- Headquarters: U.A.E.
Salama Mohamed
Mohamed is a popular social media personality and YouTuber. She started her skincare brand, Peacefull, in 2021. As of June 2024, she had 1.5 million followers on Instagram and 95,600 subscribers on YouTube. Her brand, Peacefull, had over 95,000 followers on Instagram. Mohamed also hosts the show “In The Blacklane” in partnership with Blacklane Middle East, a luxury all-electric chauffeur service.
Doaa Gawish:
- Brand: The Hair Addict
- Establishment: 2018
- Nationality: Egyptian
- Headquarters: Egypt
Doaa Gawish
Gawish created “The Hair Addict” in 2016 as a closed Facebook group to share natural hair remedies and encourage women to embrace their natural hair. The group grew into a user-generated product development platform and eventually became a brand that started in Egypt and expanded to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. The brand has been endorsed by Middle Eastern actresses and influencers like Hind Sabri, May Yacoubi, and Ingy Wegdan. As of June 2024, The Hair Addict had over 227,000 followers on Instagram, 248,000 members in the closed Facebook community, and over 198,000 followers on its public Facebook page. Before starting her brand, Gawish worked for about 13 years at Procter & Gamble. In 2024, the brand launched a customized website for Saudi Arabia, in addition to its websites in Egypt and the U.A.E.
Myriam Keramane:
- Brand: Myriam•K Paris
- Establishment: 2009
- Nationality: French- Algerian
- Headquarters: U.A.E. and France
Myriam Keramane
Keramane started creating her hair products in 2009. Myriam•K Paris expanded to the Middle East in 2020 and now offers over 300 products. The brand has a hair salon in Paris called Myriam K Showroom and has been endorsed by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Chiara Ferragni. As of June 2024, Keramane had 333,000 followers on Instagram.
Alice Abdel Aziz:
- Brand: Take Me To Wonder (TMTW)
- Establishment: 2017
- Nationality: Lebanese
- Headquarters: Lebanon
Alice Abdel Aziz
Abdel Aziz founded her brand TMTW in 2017. The brand offers hair products, cosmetics, and tanning oils, and is distributed in Lebanon, the U.A.E., Iraq, and Jordan, with worldwide online orders. The brand plans to expand into skincare and makeup. It has been endorsed by celebrities such as Haifa Wehbe, Nadine Nassib Njeim, Zuhair Murad, Rami Kadi, Eva Longoria, and Paris Hilton. As of June 2024, Abdel Aziz had 2.6 million followers on Instagram. She is also a cofounder of the NGO Bird Of Lyf and appeared in the Amazon Prime series “Girls Play” in 2024.
Maha Morley-Kirk:
- Brand: Fifteen Make Up & Beauty (Sub-brands: Pinky Goat & Eyecha)
- Establishment: 2015
- Nationality: Lebanese
- Headquarters: U.A.E.
Maha Morley-Kirk
Fifteen Make Up & Beauty has two eyelash sub-brands: Pinky Goat and Eyecha. Eyecha is an eco-friendly lash brand that has expanded globally, including over 300 Priceline Stores in Australia. Pinky Goat has partnerships with international retailers like H&M, Kmart, Namshi, and Superdrug. It is currently sold in over 3,500 locations across 25 countries and plans to expand to North America. Morley-Kirk’s Instagram account “oatsandthyme” had 115,000 followers as of June 2024, while Pinky Goat’s account had 148,000 followers.
Noha Nabil:
- Brand: Noha Nabil Beauty
- Establishment: 2020
- Nationality: Kuwaiti
- Headquarters: U.A.E.
Noha Nabil
Nabil launched her beauty line in late 2020. Noha Nabil Beauty products are available in 35 locations across the GCC, including Kuwait, the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, and can be delivered worldwide online. As of June 2024, Nabil had 12.9 million followers on Instagram, and her brand had 193,000 followers. She grew up as a poet and television presenter.
Published: 23rd July 2024
Also Read:
The Top 10 Most Expensive Houses in The World
Top 10 World’s Biggest Car Companies in 2024
Top 10 most expensive cars in the world in 2024
